Jamaican Music
More than any tourism campaign, Jamaicas music has spread word of
the island throughout the world, reaching people with its pulsating rhythms
and lyrics, which can range from romantic to rebellious.
The first commercial music of the island was mento, a sound brought to
Jamaica from Africa generations earlier. Mento first became popular in
the 1950s with groups like Pork Chops Rumba Box Band of Montego Bay and
The Ticklers. Today many resort visitors are greeted in hotel lobbies
by three- and four-man mento bands who play island tunes to incoming guests.
Mento bands usually include a banjo player, a performer shaking maracas,
and a rumba box player. The rumba box is a homemade thumb piano; the player
sits on the wooden box and thumps metal strips which, through a circular
hole in the box, reverberate and give the music its distinctive beat.
In the late 1950s, mento evolved into ska, a sound that emphasized guitar
strings strummed on the upbeat, rather than the downbeat. Ska quickly
gathered a large following thanks to performers such as Jimmy Cliff, Don
Drummond, Roland Alphanso, Lloyd Knibbs, Theophilus Beckford, Chuet Johnson,
and, most famously, the Skatalites. Ska later developed into a style known
as rock steady, named for the Alton Ellis hit Rock Steady
in 1966. Lyrics became more sociopolitical in tone, a move that paved
the way for Jamaicas next new sound: reggae.
Both mento and ska (as well as calypso, the music born in the southern
Caribbean, especially Trinidad) created reggae, Jamaicas best known
export. The king of reggae remains, even decades after his death, Bob
Marley, who has inspired generations of reggae musicians and turned the
eyes and ears of the world to this island.
Although reggae continued to remain popular, Jamaicas musical tradition
continued to evolve. In the early 70s, dub developed, emphasizing drums,
bass, and a heavily processed track of vocals or sound effects, techniques
that went on to influence hip hop.
Dancehall eventually became the top sound, mixing the political
overtones of reggae with often sexually explicit lyrics. Dancehall performers
include Yellowman, Shabba Ranks, Wayne Smith, Echo Minott, and Pad Anthony.
Today dancehall remains a popular sound in local clubs although it has
drawn sharp criticism locally and internationally for its anti-homosexuality
lyrics. In resorts, however, reggae rules with the familiar tunes of Bob
Marley heard at almost every hotel on the island. Reggae also continues
to rule the islands music festivals thanks to Montego Bays
Sumfest. Jazz continues to draw a large following as well thanks to Junes
Ocho Rios Jazz Festival and Januarys Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues
Festival.
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